Propulsion unit for aquatic toys



DEC-31,1968 TAKAICHI'MABUCHI 3,413,751

PROPULSION UNIT FOR AQUATIC TOYS Filed NOV. 23, 1966 INVENTOR. TA KamarmBuoHI Wm M RTTORN! 16 United States Patent 3,418,751 PROPULSION UNITFOR AQUATIC TOYS Takaichi Mabuchi, Tokyo, Japan, assigncr to TokyoKagakn Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo. Japan Filed Nov. 23, 1966, Ser. No.596,608 Claims priority, application Japan, Dec. 22, 1965, 78,512 12Claims. (Cl. 46-243) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A propulsion unit foruse with a toy, such as a boat, is comprised of two housing parts whichtogether define an enclosure for a battery and a driving motor. A shaftextends from the driving motor through the housing and a propeller,secured to its exterior end, is rotated by the motor powered by thebattery. The housing parts fit together in a watertight fashion. Theelectrical circuit connecting the battery to the motor is operated by aswitch which is thrown when at least one of the housing parts isdisplaced.

This invention relates to a propulsion unit for aquatic toys and moreparticularly to propulsion units for floating toys such as boats, seaplanes, water animals, submarine toys, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a unit for propulsionof floating toys that may be fitted to the floating toys during theirproduction or to existing floating toys which were not equipped withsuch propulsion units.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a unit forpropulsion of floating toys wherein the switching arrangement and anelectric drive motor for driving the screw rpropeller is accommodated ina water-tight casing together with a power supply, such as a battery,the switching arrangement being operable from the exterior by rotating aportion of the casing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a unit forpropulsion of floating toys which may be easily fitted to the bottom ofthe floating toys suitably to provide a propulsion unit therefore.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a floating toypropulsion unit which may itself serve as an aquatic toy.

With the abovementioned objects in view, the present invention residesin the construction of the unit for propulsion of floating toyscomprising a water-tight casing in the shape of a fish-torpedo, a screwpropeller fitted to the end portion of said casing, a driving motorfitted together with a battery in the inside of the casing for drivingsaid screw propeller, and a switching mechanism adapted to open andclose the circuit to the power source of the motor by manually moving aportion of the casing The present invention will now 'be describedhereinbelow with reference to certain embodiments thereof as illustratedin the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a propulsion unit for floating toysconstructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the propulsion unit fitted to anaquatic toy;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section showing an embodiment of the internalstructure of the unit; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation in longitudinal section showing anotherembodiment of the internal structure thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the toy or propulsion unitincludes a motor housing or main casing 1 and a cap member or casingportion 2 removably secured to the main casing. The main casing proper 1and the cap member 2 are constructed water-tightly from syntheticresinous material and the like in a streamlined shape as for example inthe shape of a fish-torpedo to providing an outline of low frictionalresistance when the unit is propelled in the water. The cap member 2 ofthe casing in the embodiment of FIG. 3 is fitted to the casing 1 bythreading an externally threaded portion 3 of the main casing 1 into aninternally threaded portion 4 of the cap member 2. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2 the parts are snap-fitted together. An annular rib 5 on the maincasing 1 snaps into a corresponding annular nick '6 defined adjacent theend of the cap member 2. Packing 7 is fitted between the two members.

Motor 8 is secured within the main casing 1 and its shaft 27 projectsrearwardly through the main casing proper 1 and through a packing 9 ofan exterior rib. A screw propeller 19 is mounted on the motor shaft 27between the rib and a rudder plate 11 which is carried slidably androtatably by upper and lower supporting rods 12 which projectedrearwardly from the main casing 1.

The outer wall member of the main casing 1 is formed with mounting meansfor mounting the toy and the present unit together. In the embodiment asillustrated, an attachment plate 14 formed with an attachment face 13 onone side and a dovetail 15 on the other side is attached to the toybeforehand. The toy can be fitted to the propulsion unit by insertingthe dovetail 15 of the attachment plate 14 into a dovetail groove 17formed in a projected portion 16 provided on the outer wall of the maincasing 1 as shown in FIG. 3.

Alternatively as shown in FIG. 4, the casing 1 may be formed with a flatattachment face on the projected portion 16 which is similar to theattachment face 13. In this arrangement, it is to be noted that the toymay be fitted directly onto the attachment face by application of theadhesive or the attachment face may be fitted with a. magnet or asucking disc for attachment of the toy thereto.

Battery 18 is inserted into the cap member 2 via an open end thereof soafter the cap 2 is detached from the casing 1. The battery 18 has apositive pole 19 and a negative pole 20 on its forward and rearwardportions respectively.

In the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 3, the cap member 2 is notthreaded to the casing proper 1 through the whole length of its threadedportion 4 and the positive pole 21 of the motor is spaced apart slightlyfrom the positive pole 19 of the battery 18, so the circuit of thepropulsion unit is opened. A cylindrical contacting plate 22 isconnected to the negative pole of the motor 8 and fitted inside of theopen end of the casing 1. The negative pole 20 of the battery 18 isconnected electrically to negative motor contacting plate 22 by means ofa resilient contacting plate 23 secured at one end to the inner end ofthe cap member 2 by means of a screw 28. A spring 24 interposed betweenthe end portion of the cap member 2 and the resilient contacting plate23 completes the connection to the battery 18. If from this state thecap member 2 is moved further towards the casing by threading it inrespect to the main casing 1, the cap member 2 will travel in thedirection of the arrow mark as indicated in the drawing and the positivepole 19 of the battery 18 will be moved into contact with the positivepole 21 of the motor 8 to close the circuit between the motor 8 and thebattery 18.

Referring to the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 4, a contacting piece25 connected to the negative pole of the motor 8 and fitted inside ofthe open end of the motor casing 1 is connected to the negative pole 20of the battery 8 by spring 24 and resilient contacting plate 23 which inthis embodiment engages a single axially extending contacting piece 25.To close the circuit the cap member 2 must be rotated relative to thecasing 1, with the annular rib provided on the casing proper 1 engagingWith the corresponding annular groove 4 provided on the cap member 2,until the contacting plate 23 rotates with rotation of the latter andaligns circumferentially with the contacting piece 25. The circuit isopened when the plate 23 is moved in a circumferential direction awayfrom and out of alignment with the contacting piece 25.

In the drawing, numeral 26 indicates a toy that is floatable on thewater.

According to the propulsion unit of the present invention, the operatingswitches such as are provided to the outside of the casing in theconventional devices are omitted and the driving motor is contained inthe watertight housing together with the battery.

What is claimed is:

1. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys comprising a housingformed of a main casing and a cap member having interengaging portionsfor connecting them together to define a water-tight: enclosure, andpermitting relative rotation thereof; a driving motor in said maincasing having a rotatable shaft projecting from one end of said maincasing; a screw propeller secured to said shaft; a battery mounted insaid cap member; and connecting means provided on said main casing andsaid cap member defining an electrical circuit which is closed andopened from the motor to the battery in accordance with the relativerotational positions of said interengaging portions.

2. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys as claimed in claim1, wherein mounting means for mounting the unit on an aquatic device isprovided on the outer wall of said housing.

3. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys as claimed in claim1, wherein the interengaging portions provided on said main casing andsaid cap member are interengaging screw thread, and said connectingmeans comprises a resilient contacting plate engaging on one sidethereof with the negative pole of said battery and on the other sidethereof with the negative pole of said motor making a normally closedcircuit, the positive pole of said motor and the positive pole of saidbattery being disposed face to face in spaced relationship to form anormally open cincuit and adapted to move together into contact witheach other as said interengaging screw threads are progressivelyengaged.

4. A propulsion unit particularly for aquatic toys as claimed in claim1, wherein said interengaging portions include an annular rib formed onsaid casing, a corresponding annular recess formed on said cap memberinterengeable therewith elastically and water-tightly; and saidconnecting means comprise a positive pole of the motor and the positivepole of said battery in contact therewith making a normally closed,circuit and a resilient contacting plate connected at one end thereof tothe negative pole of said battery and disposed to come into contact atthe other end thereof with the negative pole of said motor upon relativerotation of said interengaging portions.

5. A propulsion unit for water-borne devices such as toys comprisingfirst and second interconnected housing parts defining a substantiallywater-tight compartment, a driving motor in said compartment having arotatable propeller shaft extending to the exterior of said housingparts, a propeller affixed to the exterior of said propeller shaft forrotation by said motor with said propeller shaft, a battery in saidcompartment adjacent said motor, connecting means extending between saidbattery and said motor for running said motor from said batteryincluding a pair of interengageable contacts carried by at least one ofsaid first and second housing parts, said contacts being movable intoengagement and being movable away from engagement by the selectivemovement of at least one of said housing parts.

6. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said first housingpart includes an annularly extending projection and said second housingpart includes a complementary recess, said first and second housingparts being interengaged by insertion of the projection in said recess.

7. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said first housingpart and said second housing part includes interengageable threaded endportions which may be screwed together to interconnect said housingparts.

8. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, including means on saidhousing for mounting said propulsion unit on another device such as atoy.

9. A propulsion unit according to claim 8, wherein said means comprisesa portion of said housing defining a receiving recess, and a mountingmember having a projection adapted to be fitted into said recess to holdsaid housing for mounting said housing on another device.

10. A propulsion unit according to claim 9, wherein said mounting memberincludes an elongated member having a fiat top surface for securing saidsurface to another device and a bottom bead-shaped projection adapted tofit into the recess of said housing parts.

11. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said connectingmeans includes an axially extending contact carried by one of saidparts, the other of said parts carrying a complementary axiallyextending contact, said contacts of said two parts being interengaged independence on the relative rotative position of one of said parts inrespect to the other of said parts.

12. A propulsion unit according to claim 5, wherein said connectingmeans includes a pole of said battery and a terminal of said motor, saidbattery being disposed in spaced relationship to the terminal of saidmotor and being movable upon relative movement of said first and secondhousing parts to engage with said terminal and to complete the circuitfrom said battery to said motor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/ 1961 McAda 46-243 X 5/1962Presnell 46-243 US. Cl. X.R. 46-93

